I was always tought, and always believed, that things happen for a reason.  After reading "The Celestine Prophesy", I paid more attention to these things, and try to make sure and follow through.

I had a good reminder of this on Thursday.

ASW was having a BBQ, welcoming the new and returning teachers back to the school.  I was invited as well, but had to work that day, so once I was finished I gathered up my things and hopped on the bus.

On my way to the bus, I realized that I had forgotten Jess’ sunglasses.  This was the first clue that my brain wasn’t in gear.

As the bus approached my stop, I pressed the button indicating that I wanted to stop there.  This is only required for a few of the stops, this being one of them.  The bus squeezed out of traffic and pulled up to the stops, but the doors didn’t open.  I’d been warned about this, but hadn’t expected it.  You see, in the winter time (and apparently other times as well), the bus doors don’t all open when the driver stops.  Instead, you need to press the button to open your doors.

Well, by the time I’d realized my doors weren’t opening, the bus was moving again.  Right then, I definitely felt like a tourist.  It was hard to believe we’d been here two weeks alread! 

Anyways, I got off at the next stop, face still red.  It was also the last stop before the bus crossed the "out-of-town" line, and became more expensive. 

The stop wasn’t too far from the school, so I decided rather than to chance another bus ride, that I would walk.  The weather was still good, if a bit hot, and I had been stuck indoors all day, unmoving behind my desk.  If nothing else, my underused muscles craved the exercise. 

On the way I passed a small outdoor bike shop, and made a mental note of it.  After the BBQ I decided to go back and take a look, rather than to ignore this coincidence.  Sure enough, I found a good bike at a decent price.  It was around 780 pln (or roughly 370 USD).  It had front shocks, but not rear, and looked like a pretty good rig.  I’d need to put air in the tires soon, but I finally had transportation!

Living without a car has been challenging at first, but as with all addictions, once you’re off it for a while, it’s not so bad.  Having a bicycle was a huge help, though.  Living in a city, it’s much easier to get around than walking, and things aren’t so far away as to require a car.  There are definitely times we miss having a car (think IKEA!), but we get by fine without one so far. 

We’re still learning the lay of the land, looking for places to get the things we need.  We’re also working on our Polish language skills.  I have to say, we’re not doing too shabby.  We got compliments today from the girl working at the sports store, where I got new pedals and a storage pouch for my bike.  She said she thought we were Polish!  Kudos to us!  It only lasted a few seconds, though.  But she helped us with larger numbers, as did the girl at the health food store.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and we’re planning on going out for a concert and some drinks.  Should be a good time!  We had a get-together at one of the returning teachers’ apartments on Friday.  I got to ride my bike there and back and try out all our new lights.  We had a huge storm, and it was raining a bit still when we left, but it tapered off quickly and we only got a little damp, but the water levels were really high! 

Today (Saturday) was pretty low-key.  We tried out some stores at the closest mall, but they were packed, so we just ended up stocking up on gluten-free foods and some bike parts, then headed over to Ohhhh Sushi for lunch.  That was a good lunch, and it was also refreshing at how many people understand what Gluten-Free means!  So far, more than half of the places understand when she asks for "bezglutinowy" (bez-glu-teen-oh-vey).  One place even laughed and said "Of course, it’s just beets!"  Though we’ve had a few of the opposite problems, such as the crackers she ordered that were labeled "gluten-free" on the website, but had "Wheat" clearly listed on the ingredients.

Well, that’s it for me today.  I’m going to try to get in the habbit of writing more frequently, but it’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement of being in a new country and exploring!  Next weekend we’re planning a 70-something Km bike trip south to see some castles.  I’m excited!  We also need to plan our vacations!

Well, right now I’m off for some drinking chocolate (if they’re still open).  mmmmmmm.  I’ll bring the camera and share